How do I skin a catfish? How do I pull out the bones? I gutted it at a lake and I don't know how to procede.

Question

I want to use turn it into fish fillets, how do I do that?

Answer 1

get a sharp fillet knife, cut around the head just above the gills, then cut the skin and meat along the back bone, to one side. keep running the knife down that slit until the fillet comes free. it will take you a while, do it slow and cautiously, to get the most off, then grab the tail, cut the very tip of the meat to the skin, do not cut through the skin, angle the knife away from you, between the skin and meat, wiggle the skin as you pull the skin towards you, stop when the skin is removed.... repeat on the other side

Answer 2

All you have to do is start at the tail and fillet the meat from the skeleton and then turn the fillet skin side down and fillet the meat from the tail end again off of the skin. Do the same with the other side of the fish and you will have two skinless, boneless fillets. You don't have to gut or skin the fish with pliers like I did for years. That's a total waste of time and effort. My stepson showed me how to do it about three years ago and hear I have been doing it the hard way for 30+ years now.

Answer 3

cut the top half of the neck and then use pliers (with "teeth") and hold on tight to the mouth then use another pare to take of the scales/ skin

then take the head of, lay the body down so you can see the spine then take the spine out.

cut it in 2 and there you go 2 fish fillets

hope this helps

Answer 4

Start with a pair of skinning pliars which come together 90 degrees from the handle to enable grabbing the skin.

1) Cut an arc just behind the front fins that stick out.  The cut should go from near the top of the head to just below the fin.  Don't cut it all the way around the belly.

2) Cut the skin around the dorsal fin (top fin) all the way to the top of the first cut.  

3) Using the pliars, grip the skin at the top corner of your cut and pull towards the tail.  You will probably have to grip the fish by the head holding it secure by hooking your fingers around the side fins that stick out.  Pull as far as you can without tearing the skin, then switch sides.

4) Alternate between sides until you are able to pull the skin entirely off the end of the tail.

5) Grip the skin of the belly nearest the tail and pull it toward the head.  Peel it back until you reach the side fins.

6) Make a small cut behind the dorsal fin toward the spine

7) Grab the fish by the head and the middle of the back and  bend it over to break the spine.  Finish by ripping the head off.

8) Cut a chunk of meat around the a**s and then cut a straight cut between the two bottom fins toward where the head used to be.  This will split the belly.

9) Remove anything inside the belly

10) Lay the fish down on it's side and starting near the tail, cut parallel with the table to slide just along the spine toward the front.  Flip it over and repeat.  You will have two great fillets.  Then, slide it as you want.

Answer 5

Cut through the skin just ahead of the tail, and with two shingle nails, nail it to a tree.  Then simply "peel" the skin down over the body.